It is completely meaningless to put effort into activities that have no essence - Atisha

Sunday breakfast meals bring out the "made-from-scratch" in me and I think with Mother's Day just around the corner we should all make an effort to cook a nice meal for our mums, good friends or just for ourselves! Vegans and Non Vegans alike will enjoy these great recipes I always use! Below I share two recipes: My vegan Hollandaise and a super tasty Polenta-like pâté made from ground sunflower seeds, cornmeal & potatoes. And, of course, how can you make Eggs Benedict for your friends without HOMEMADE English Muffins. I made these foods from scratch from tried and true recipes that I love! BUT, of course, I alway give any recipe a bit of my own twist. You should, too! Have fun! and celebrate mothers past, present and future on May 11th - they make our wold a better place!

Vegan and Non-Vegan: On the left my Vegan Sunflower pâté topped with vegan Hollandaise along side Eggs Benedict.

Mmmmmmmm - Nooks and Crannies! Home made English Muffins. I use Mark Bittman's recipe for sandwich bread in his book How to Cook Everything. This is a wonderful recipe. It is not vegan as it contains milk- but vegans can substitute with almond milk or other milk alternative. The recipe is so easy and the ingredients so basic but the end result is so impressive So, have at it and make these!

Another terrific appetizer, snack or protein main dish on Brunch Day is this wonderfully delicious Sunflower pâté. So flavorful and satisfying! You will not believe it's vegan. Nutritional Yeast is what gives this pâté a rich, cheesy, nutty flavor. I LOVE this dish for picnics, lunches or parties. See this and my Mock Arugula Hollandaise recipe below.

Sunflower pâté

This recipe is from one of my favorite vegan cookbooks that I picked up at the bottom of a pile in a thrift sale. It's called Vegan Delights by Jeanne Marie Martin and was published in 1993. Wonderful recipes in this book.

1/2 tsp dried sage leaves (I didn't have sage on hand and it still tasted great!)

1/4 tsp sea kelp powder

1 Cup finely grated potato (I just used grater on food processor)

1 and 1/3 cup water

1/4 cup sunflower oil or other natural oil (you can reduce this amount if you wish)

2 TBS soy sauce or Tamari

Optional: 3-4 tsp prepared horseradish. I didn't have this on hand either so did not include this. Other things you could add include some finely chopped onions or minced garlic. Keep the wet veggies to a minimum.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Grate the potato and rinse it thoroughly to remove excess starch. Squeeze and drain it after rinsing. Add the remaining ingredients in the order given above, stirring in the potato last. Mix well.

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Generously oil a 9" glass pie plate and scoop in the pâté mixture. Put it in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Bake 35-45 minutes until well browned.

Let the pâté cool 1-2 hours and then chill it thoroughly before serving to set it completely. It may be reheated later if desired. It is tastiest when served at room temperature. Keeps up to 7 days refrigerated or may be frozen in pie wedges (with reduced oil and no onions or garlic)

At this point your "hollandaise" should be smooth, colorful and flavorful. Next step is to the food processor

In a small bowl of your food processor add your hollandaise, handful of arugula and 1/2 TBS or 1 TBS of Veganaise. Blend thoroughly and add water by the TableSpoons to reach the correct consistency you desire. I thinned mine a bit with water. It will thicken each time your reheat it - you can add water likewise each time you reheat.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat when ready to serve. Taste to your liking and add things you prefer!

This is one for the books and you can definitely make variations that will make it fun to play with! My husband thinks it looks like a cheddar cheese sauce (from the carrot juice color). Below is a picture of the lunch I made today. I used this dressing on steamed broccoli, spinach and sprouts with a sprinkling of fresh arugula and red chiles. Or pan fry some capers for an added punch.

This dressing can be used on almost anything from sandwiches to my Breakfast Veggie Benedict where it acts as a Hollandaise Sauce atop a plump beefsteak tomato and steamed spinach. The uses are ENDLESS ... have at it!

2 TBSP Good quality yellow Miso

1 tsp fresh minced ginger (I always add more at the end and re-blend if I feel it isn't gingery enough)

1/8th tsp "Hing" or asafoetida (this is an Indian cuisine spice) - 1 grated clove of garlic can be used instead

Juice of one carrot (sometimes I will use beet juice as a bright & Earthy option)

approx 1/4 to 1/3 cup grapeseed or sunflower oil. NOTE: (this amount may vary - I don't like to use a lot of oil. I drizzle oil into the food processor until I like the consistency)

one large arugula leaf (to puree in blender) - or a dash of freshly ground black pepper (arugula is tastier)

Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender - or, to get a work-out, whisk by hand. Slowly drizzle oil in while the machine is running. Consistency should be like a hollandaise sauce or similar - creamy texture. Also, you should not need additional salt but be sure to taste and refine where needed. Sometimes, if it is too miso-like I add a bit more oil or a tad more of the lemon juice. PLAY and be free to experiment with this.

NOTE ABOUT MY RECIPES: I am no pro - just a person with a passion who LOVES FOOD. In addition: I happen to be one of those people who just wings it in the kitchen by mixing and blending whatever I have around. I do my best to give you an idea of what is required in terms of measurements and directions. But always remember: use YOUR knowledge and intuitive sense in the kitchen and never use an ingredient that doesn't work for YOU:)

ABOUT THIS BLOG!

I am simply a person with a serious passion for FOOD! I am not a chef, chemist or doctor - I am just a foodie food-head! The recipes in this blog are things I make for myself, my family and my friends and they have been tested and tried by some of my closest food critics. This blog has helped me become more aware and appreciative of the food I prepare and share and I am very grateful for this.

As for this blog - I have one piece of advice: Food is like our DNA - it is unique and specific to each of us! Add your own flare, energy and pulse and personality to your food. It is a part of you! It is who you are. So, if something doesn't work for you in my recipes then be sure to be fearless and try your own flare... and share your inspiration with us!